Steamed (hap) and grilled (nuong) corn (bap) on the cob are among the most popular nighttime street foods in Saigon. I’ve sampled two types of corn in Vietnam—the sweet and crisp variety that everyone grew up eating and the starchy and industrial kind that I’m certain is made into high fructose corn syrup and ethanol in America.

The grilled corn above is of the common breed and was purchased near the traffic circle by Ben Thanh Market. Served on a stick and smothered in hanh mo—a blend of fish sauce, scallions and oil—I find that vegetables always taste best embellished with fat and salt.

6 Responses to “Bắp”

That corn looks amazing! One of my most memorable corn on a stick was while waiting for a bus in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, this guy was grilling white corn on a makeshift grill and then he rubbed it with butter, salt, chili powder and lime. That was the best 50 cents I’d spent in years.